ABSTRACT
The marketing of products specifically made for controlling underarm wetness and odor only began slightly over 100 years ago. The first product in this category, Mum deodorant, was brought out in 1888 (1). Starting from products that were reportedly first used mainly by people in the entertainment field, antiperspirants and deodorants have grown to be one of the largest Health & Beauty Aids (HBA) product categories in the United States. Toothpaste is the only HBA product enjoying more frequent use by a larger segment of the public, although consumer sales in both categories are about the same, $1.5 billion. This overview of the history of antiperspirant and deodorant products (AP&D) will attempt to analyze what technologies, packaging developments, materials, and social changes influenced this growth. It has certainly not grown at a steady rate. In the first 50 years U.S. product sales grew to $20 million a year. In the last 50 years, product sales have grown to over $1.5 billion a year.
